In this Forbes article on 7 tips for crafting an effective sales pitch something caught my eye which I completely agree with.

A sales pitch is such an antiquated term. If you pitch you’re either going to get a yes or a no. 

A pitch typically conjures up the images of a one-way presentation, with the salesperson talking at the prospect. […] If you are pitched at, you either swing to bat it way or duck to avoid it.

A pitch suggests you’re talking at someone, but what you actually need to do is engage.

People often assume that where there’s a pitch, there’s a catch. If you say, “here’s my pitch” people will look for something to object to.

A pitch is a monologue. You need to have a dialogue.

The 7 steps to creating an effective sales pitch:

1. Ditch the pitch. Aim for engagement and conversation
2. Do your homework: research your prospect and their market
3. Identify your objectives: set goals for each interaction with the prospect
4. Ask questions
5. Sell benefits and the value of your products, not features
6. Use their language – when you identify their challenge, and presuming your product can help them overcome it, use the same words they use to define the challenge
7. Ask for a commitment: a follow up meeting, or agreement to receive further information. Small yeses lead up to a BIG yes

You can read the article in full, here.

The best firstime prospect meetings I’ve had are when we’re all sitting around a table chatting about the market, while I gently steer them by asking questions. Before I know it, they’re talking about business challenges, giving me the opportunity to add value.

I’ll cover the sales process in great detail over these pages. In the meantime, please do drop me a line in the box below about what you’d specifically like to learn, and I’ll make sure you do 😉

Thanks for reading, and please keep sharing.

To your success!

Almas 🙂

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